Good morning and happy Friday!
MARG HELGENBERGER may have had a 5 a.m. call on the set of "CSI" yesterday morning, but she was still able to swing over to Hollywood to support her husband, actor ALAN ROSENBERG, as the Screen Actors Guild received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Alan is president of the union. "I'm very proud of what my husband is doing," Marg told me. "It's a very difficult job, a very thankless job and it's particularly filled with tension these days for obvious reasons [labor contract negotiations]. But I think if anyone can handle it, it's my husband."
How to they handle him working so hard with the union and her as star of one of television's most popular prime-time shows? "It's hard, it's really hard, I guess I'll be honest with you. We don't see much of each other. He does a lot of work for the guild and a lot of traveling."
Caught up with some other stars before and after the ceremony:
..... BLYTHE DANNER was once very close to becoming BRAD PITT'S mother-in-law when her daughter GWYNETH PALTROW was engaged to the movie star. But the two-time Emmy winner had no idea that Pitt was one of the executive producers of a pilot she is acting in called "Pretty Handsome" about a married father of two who tells his wife and teenaged sons that he is a transsexual: "I had no idea!," Blythe said to me, seeming genuinely surprised. "Golly. I didn't know that. I love Brad and I'm glad. I'm glad he is involved." The pilot was created by Ryan Murphy who has had such great success with "Nip/Tuck." "It has [Joseph] Fiennes who was in 'Shakespeare in Love" with my daughter Gwyneth and also [Robert] Wagner. It's a pilot so we're crossing our fingers."

..... JACK COLEMAN and I talked about his hit show "Heroes" which some have suggested is suffering from a sophomore slump creatively. "I think the show's still roilling well. There are some fantastic episodes coming up. People are going to see things tie together in a way that I think they are longing to see and there's some really strong episodes. I think we're going to be fine. We knew no matter what happened, people were going to be aiming for us in the second year. They build you up the first year, they come after you the second year. I'm having the time of my life." ..... JOBETH WILLIAMS shared that she will be in at least four episodes of my favorite Showtime series "Dexter." "I play Julie Benz's mother and I begin to suspect something's up with [serial killer] Dexter." .....
And I'll wrap up for now with a trio of items about fame and youth: Let me just say that I think MARIAH CAREY is mega-talented and beautiful. But should she really be the one giving advice to the likes of BRITNEY SPEARS and LINDSAY LOHAN? After all, she's had some problems herself. But, maybe she's learned from experience: "I would say you need to be very centered, and spiritually know where you're at, all the time," Carey tells Glamour magazine in its November issue . "Don't read the tabloids. Don't be obsessed with what people are writing or saying. Live your life for you." ..... In related news, both Lindsay and Brtiney's moms are working on projects that seem to exploit the fame of their embattled daughters who clearly needed/need better parenting: LYNNE SPEARS is reportedly writing a personal tell-all about raising two famous daughters and has a book deal with publisher Thomas Nelson, according to Publishers Marketplace. ..... Then we have DINA LOHAN.set to start filing a reality show for E! featuring her and her younger daughter , Ali, and, get this, the show is meant to "empower single mothers." Uh, right. Get ready to see a lot more of the Lohans. “There are so many misconceptions about me and my family,” says Dina. “I’m setting the record straight.” Good luck with that Dina. We're sure you're a regular June Cleaver. ......